The term “fair-weather friend” describes a person who is supportive and friendly in good times but who disappears in difficulties. Tragically, many churches know the reality of fair-weather Christians, who profess Christ when things are going smoothly but who, as Jesus warned, “when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately … fall away” (Matthew 13:21). This inconsistency contradicts the very nature of biblical love, which “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:7).
In our consideration of biblical love, we have considered that Christian love is holy, humble, and heartfelt. In this article, I want to consider the hopeful nature of Christian love: “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer” (Romans 12:12).
The connection between “hope” and patience and consistency is important. Churches are often plagued by impatience and inconsistency because church members have lost sight of what truly matters—of ultimate Christian hope. When our hope is rooted in the temporary rather than the eternal, we understandably live for the here and now, which means that our love ebbs and flows.
UNDERSTANDING HOPE
The foundation for consistent Christian living lies in understanding biblical hope. Unlike worldly hope, which is merely wishful thinking, biblical hope is a desire with a guaranteed fulfilment. This hope is never uncertain because it rests on God’s unbreakable promises. As Paul writes, “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” (Romans 15:13).
Abraham exemplified this kind of hope. When God promised to make him “a father of many nations” before Isaac was even born, Abraham “in hope believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told” (Romans 4:18). Abraham understood that God cannot lie, which meant that, since God had promised it, it was as good as done.
Biblical hope specifically concerns the completion of our salvation. Paul reminds us, “I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). Our hope extends to that future day when Christ returns and believers are resurrected in glorified bodies—when “this perishable body puts on the imperishable, and this mortal body puts on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:53).
This hope tells us there is more to life than what we see. Our faithful service will one day be rewarded, enabling us to remain committed regardless of circumstances.
EXPRESSING HOPE
Romans 12:12 reveals three characteristics that flow from biblical hope: praise, perseverance, and prayer.
Hopeful Praise
Paul commands us to be “rejoicing in hope.” Hopeful people are joyful people, and hopeful churches are praising churches. The early Jerusalem church demonstrated this: “Day by day attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favour with all the people” (Acts 2:46-47).
Even in prison, Paul and Silas exemplified hopeful joy: “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them” (Acts 16:25). This supernatural joy in trials becomes a powerful testimony, as Peter notes: “But in your hearts honour Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defence to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15).
What fixes our hope and enables such joy? The second coming of Christ. Just as Old Testament saints found hope in the Messiah’s first coming—Simeon, Anna, Abraham, and Enoch all looked forward to Christ’s appearing—we today await “our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).
Hopeful Perseverance
The second aspect of hopeful love is being “patient in tribulation.” Hopeful people persevere consistently and remain fruitful even under pressure. Jesus taught that good soil produces those who “hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience” (Luke 8:15).
This theme of perseverance runs throughout Revelation, where John repeatedly mentions “the patient endurance of the saints” (14:12). We must maintain constancy of mind and an unshaken purpose even in the most difficult times, as Joseph did when he named his son Ephraim, saying, “God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction” (Genesis 41:52).
Church life is cyclical: We experience seasons of blessing and difficulty, emotional highs and mundane periods. The key is maintaining a commitment to stability through these fluctuations. Like marathon runners, who persevere through good and difficult training days, Christians need to build maintain constancy of mind when challenges arise.
How do we maintain such consistency? The answer is found at the beginning of Romans 12:
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
(Romans 12:1–2)
We must restrain the flesh, renew the mind, and thereby reveal the Lord.
Hopeful Prayer
Finally, we must be “constant in prayer.| Hopeful people are prayerful people with consistent prayer lives. The early Christians “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42). Paul commanded, “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving” (Colossians 4:2).
Prayer serves both as a thermometer and thermostat for our hope. As a thermometer, it reveals the temperature of our hope. Our perseverance in prayer demonstrates our faith in God. As a thermostat, prayer maintains and fuels our hope. When David felt downcast, he counselled his soul: “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God” (Psalm 42:11).
Jesus perfectly exemplified this principle, often spending entire nights in prayer (Luke 6:12). His perfect faith was demonstrated through his perfect prayer life. Prayer may be the hardest spiritual discipline to start and the easiest to quit, yet it remains the most essential and vulnerable aspect of Christian living.
Living with Hopeful Love
Christian love is hopeful and therefore consistent. It worships in praise, works in perseverance, and waits in prayer. This love serves faithfully whether circumstances are favourable or challenging because it understands that we belong to “the God of hope” (Romans 15:13).
The question for each believer is, are others drawn to ask about the hope they see in us? Do we joyfully serve Christ even when the economy struggles, crime increases, or political systems appear chaotic? Our consistency in love testifies to the reality of our hope in Christ’s return.
May we be characterised by this biblical hope, loving and serving at all times, focused not on temporary circumstances but on our eternal destiny with the one who is faithful to complete what he has begun in us.